2007

ECCC Warriors seel,ing s-q_ccess 2007 with strong grolllld game • m

expect him to have another productive son," Underwood stated. Ross will sharing running back d with Maurice Langston, a red shirt fr&slulan and Northeast Lauderdale High School prM- ucL I ''Maurice is a strong Leader and a gtat talent," Underwood said. "I look for ~ig t11ings from him and Roosevelt this year. Returning at wide receiver is F Parham, a 5-11 , 180-pound product of~t. Clair County High School in Odenville, .Ia. Parham, a University of South rn Mississippi signee, played in every game or East Central Last year. "He is a great talent and one of our team leaders," Underwood said of his top receiv– er.Other top receivers are sophomores Michael Townsend, a 6-2, 200-pound prod– uct of Forest High School, and Katlan French, a 5-9, 175-pound former standout at Starkville Academy. "Michael is playing as good as I have ever seen him play. Katlan is also having a great cap1p. Both are very talented." Underwood also praised several offensive linemen. "Marquis Harris (6-1, 290) ofMeridian is starting at strong guard and James Jenkins

After several years oftrying a variation of the "West Coast" offense, East Central Community College head football coach Terry Underwood said it's time for a change....time to return to the "run fLrSt" offense .. that the

and that's run the ball first, then complement the running game with play action passes and a short passing game," said Underwood, who will also coach quarterbacks and run– ning backs. ''We have the skill guys to run the offense -which will also feature a lot of option plays - so this type of offense fits our personnel." The Warrior offense will be led by first– year quarterback Deon Williams, a transfer from Valdosta (Ga.) State. Underwood said Williams, a former standout at Tuscaloosa (Ala.) County High School, "has a tremen– dous amount of talent" and ''knows what it takes to win." Underwood also has praise for freshman quarterback Jacob Massey of Union. "Jacob is a really good athlete and has had a great preseason camp. He's been here all summer working out and going to school and his efforts have really paid off. 1 really feel good about Deon and Jacob running the offense." Expected to be the "workhorse" in the Warrior backfield is sophomore running back Roosevelt Ross, a 5-8, 190-pound prod– uct of Ocala-Forest High School in Ocala, Fla "Roosevelt has a great attitude and we

(6-2, 245) of Columbus will start at quick 1 guard. Both are really strong players and 1 doing a great job. John Bailey (6-2, 245) of 1 Thscaloosa has moved to offensive tackle from the fullback and tight end positions and is also having a great preseason camp." Additional players receiving praise on offense include fullback Marcus Travis (5-7, 200) of Perry Central, tight ends Spencer Spaoe of Terry, a transfer from North Carolina A&T, Josh Williams of Jackson Lanier and wide receiver Kendrick May of Tuscaloosa County. "All of these guys have had good presea– son camps. Kendrick is one of our fastest players and ran a 4.3 in a recent combine. He is going to be a really good player," Underwood stated. Assisting Underwood with the offense are KyleWatson (offensive line) and Derrick Qualls (wide receivers and tight ends). DEFENSE Steve Cheatham returns as defensive coordinator and will also serve as assistant head coach. He spent the past two years as head coach at Neshoba Cenlral High School and served the previous two years as director of football operations at the Un.iversity of See ECCC, page 22

Warriors successfully used in the late 1990's, when Underwood ftrst juggled duties as offen– sive coordinator and head coach. Underwood, who

Underwood

begins his lOth year leading the ECCC football program and sec– ond stint leading the offense, hopes the "new" offensive attack in 2007 will produce the same results experienced by the 1999 Warriors, who qualified for the state playoffs en route to an 8-3 record. The first test of the "new offense" takes place against longtime rival East Mississippi Community College on Thursday, August 30. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on the Scooba campus. "We decided it was time to go back to what we have successfully done in the past -

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